# Pipeline > Deal-level coaching with diagnosis, stakeholder strategy, and next-step recommendations. Use when user says "help with this deal", "deal is stalled", "how to close", "competitive deal", "multi-thread", "deal coaching", or mentions a specific stuck deal. Use when this capability is needed. - Skill: `tomevault-io/pipeline` (Agent Skill, multi-file: 2 files) - Install (CLI): `npx skillmds@latest add tomevault-io/pipeline` - Raw SKILL.md: https://api.skillmd.com/api/skills/tomevault-io/pipeline/raw - Safety review: pending (external: skill-scanner PASS, skillspector PASS) - Works with: Claude Code, Claude.ai, OpenAI Codex - Category: Product & Planning - Author: tomevault-io (https://skillmd.com/u/tomevault-io) - Updated: 2026-09-17 - Page: https://skillmd.com/skills/tomevault-io/pipeline --- # /octave:pipeline - Deal Coach Deal-level coaching and strategy. Diagnose stalled deals, plan multi-threading, counter competitive threats, engage executives, and generate deal-specific next steps — all informed by your library's playbooks and real conversation data. ## Usage ``` /octave:pipeline [mode] [--contact ] [--competitor ] ``` ## Modes ``` /octave:pipeline # Interactive - describe the deal /octave:pipeline stalled acme.com # Deal is stuck /octave:pipeline multi-thread acme.com # Expand to more stakeholders /octave:pipeline competitive acme.com --competitor "Acme" # Competitor entered the deal /octave:pipeline executive acme.com # Need executive engagement /octave:pipeline close acme.com # Final stage strategy /octave:pipeline expand acme.com # Customer expansion / upsell ``` ## Instructions When the user runs `/octave:pipeline`: ### Step 1: Understand the Deal Situation If no mode specified, ask: ``` Tell me about the deal. What's happening? DEAL CHALLENGES 1. Stalled - Deal has gone quiet or lost momentum 2. Multi-thread - Need to engage more stakeholders 3. Competitive - A competitor has entered or is threatening 4. Executive - Need to get executive buy-in 5. Close - Deal is in final stages, need to close 6. Expand - Existing customer, upsell/cross-sell opportunity 7. Other - Describe the situation Your choice: ``` Then gather context: ``` A few more details: 1. Account: [company name or domain] 2. Primary contact: [name or email, if known] 3. Deal stage: [Where is it in your pipeline?] 4. How long at this stage: [days/weeks] 5. What happened last: [last interaction or event] 6. Any other context: [budget, timeline, blockers] ``` ### Step 2: Research the Deal ``` # Enrich the company enrich_company({ companyDomain: "" }) # Qualify the company qualify_company({ companyDomain: "" }) # Research the primary contact enrich_person({ person: { email: "", companyDomain: "" } }) # Qualify the contact qualify_person({ person: { email: "", companyDomain: "" }, additionalContext: "This is an active deal. Evaluate persona fit and likely buying role." }) # Check for conversation history list_events({ startDate: "<365 days ago>", filters: { companyDomains: [""] } }) # Get findings from past interactions list_findings({ query: "objections pain points next steps commitments", startDate: "<365 days ago>", eventFilters: { companyDomains: [""] } }) # Match to playbook search_knowledge_base({ query: " ", entityTypes: ["playbook"] }) get_playbook({ oId: "", includeValueProps: true }) # Get competitive intel if relevant search_knowledge_base({ query: "", entityTypes: ["competitor"] }) # Get proof points for this situation search_knowledge_base({ query: " results", entityTypes: ["proof_point", "reference"] }) ``` ### Step 3: Generate Mode-Specific Coaching --- #### Mode: Stalled Deal ``` DEAL COACHING: STALLED DEAL ============================ Account: [Company] Contact: [Name, Title] Stage: [Stage] | Days in Stage: [N] Last Activity: [Date and description] --- DIAGNOSIS --------- Based on the deal context and conversation history: Likely Reasons for Stall: 1. [Reason 1] — Evidence: "[From conversation data or context]" 2. [Reason 2] — Evidence: "[...]" 3. [Reason 3] — Evidence: "[...]" Risk Level: [High / Medium / Low] --- RE-ENGAGEMENT STRATEGY ----------------------- APPROACH 1: Value-Add Re-Engagement Timing: [Now] Action: Send [specific content/insight] relevant to [their situation] Why: Adds value without asking for anything, restarts conversation Draft message: "[Short email or LinkedIn message]" APPROACH 2: New Information Trigger Timing: [When available] Action: Share [industry news, product update, relevant content] Why: Creates legitimate reason to re-engage Draft message: "[Short message]" APPROACH 3: Multi-Thread Around the Stall Timing: [If approach 1-2 don't work within 1 week] Action: Reach out to [other stakeholder] with [different angle] Why: Champion may be blocked; find alternative path Draft message: "[Short message]" APPROACH 4: Executive Air Cover Timing: [If deal is high-value and stall persists] Action: Have [your exec] reach out to [their exec] Why: Elevates priority, demonstrates commitment Draft message: "[Short message]" --- CONVERSATION STARTERS --------------------- • "I noticed [company news/signal] — how is that affecting [their initiative]?" • "We just [published/released/achieved] [relevant thing] — thought of you because [connection]" • "When we spoke in [month], you mentioned [specific thing]. Has that situation changed?" • "I've been thinking about [their challenge] — here's an idea: [insight]" --- THINGS TO AVOID --------------- • Don't: "[Common mistake for this situation]" • Don't: "Just checking in" (no value) • Don't: Pressure tactics (erodes trust) --- PROOF POINTS TO DEPLOY ----------------------- • [Relevant proof point for re-engagement] • [New metric or case study to share] --- NEXT 3 ACTIONS -------------- 1. [This week] [Specific action] → [Expected outcome] 2. [Next week] [Specific action if #1 doesn't work] 3. [Week after] [Escalation action] --- Want me to: 1. Draft the re-engagement email 2. Research other stakeholders to multi-thread 3. Generate call prep for when they respond 4. Analyze past conversations for clues ``` --- #### Mode: Multi-Thread ``` DEAL COACHING: MULTI-THREADING ================================ Account: [Company] Current Contact: [Name, Title] Deal Stage: [Stage] --- CURRENT COVERAGE ---------------- Known Stakeholders: • [Name, Title] — [Role: Champion/Evaluator/etc.] — [Status] Missing Roles: ⚠ [Economic buyer not identified] ⚠ [Technical evaluator not engaged] ⚠ [End users not involved] --- RECOMMENDED STAKEHOLDERS ------------------------- ``` ``` # Find additional contacts find_person({ searchMode: "people", companyDomain: "", fuzzyTitles: [""], limit: 5 }) ``` ``` | Name | Title | Why Engage | Approach | |------|-------|-----------|----------| | [Name 1] | [Title] | [Economic buyer] | [Warm intro via champion] | | [Name 2] | [Title] | [Technical eval] | [Direct outreach with technical angle] | | [Name 3] | [Title] | [End user / champion builder] | [Value-add content] | --- ENGAGEMENT STRATEGY PER STAKEHOLDER ------------------------------------ [Stakeholder 1]: [Name, Title] Persona Match: [Persona] Their Priority: [What they care about] Message: "[Tailored outreach — different angle than primary contact]" Channel: [Email / LinkedIn / Internal intro] Ask: "[Specific CTA]" [Stakeholder 2]: [Name, Title] [Same structure] --- MULTI-THREADING SEQUENCE ------------------------- 1. [Action] Ask [Champion] to introduce you to [Stakeholder] 2. [Action] Send [direct outreach] to [Stakeholder] via [channel] 3. [Action] Engage [Stakeholder] with [content/value-add] 4. [Action] Propose [group meeting/demo] with multiple stakeholders --- TALK TRACK FOR ASKING CHAMPION ------------------------------- "[How to ask your champion to make introductions]" --- Want me to: 1. Generate outreach for a specific stakeholder 2. Research a specific person in depth 3. Create stakeholder-specific content 4. Generate call prep for a multi-stakeholder meeting ``` --- #### Mode: Competitive ``` DEAL COACHING: COMPETITIVE THREAT =================================== Account: [Company] Competitor: [Competitor Name] Deal Stage: [Stage] --- COMPETITIVE SITUATION --------------------- [Summary of competitive landscape in this deal] Their Likely Angle: [How the competitor probably positions] Our Best Counter: [How to reframe] --- IMMEDIATE ACTIONS ----------------- 1. [Set evaluation criteria that favor us] 2. [Deploy specific proof point] 3. [Ask trap question to expose their weakness] --- [Pull from /octave:battlecard intelligence for this competitor] TRAP QUESTIONS FOR THIS DEAL ----------------------------- Given [company]'s specific situation, ask: 1. "[Contextual trap question]" — exposes [competitor weakness] 2. "[Contextual trap question]" — highlights our advantage in [area] LANDMINES TO SET ---------------- 1. "[Criterion to establish]" — plays to our strength 2. "[Requirement to introduce]" — they can't meet this --- PROOF POINTS TO DEPLOY ----------------------- • [Customer similar to this account who chose us over competitor] • [Metric that beats competitor's claims] --- DISPLACEMENT MESSAGING ----------------------- If they're leaning toward [competitor]: "[Talk track to shift the conversation]" If they're already using [competitor]: "[Talk track for switching narrative]" --- Want me to: 1. Generate a full battlecard for this competitor 2. Draft competitive displacement email 3. Create comparison content for this account 4. Prep for a head-to-head demo ``` --- #### Mode: Executive Engagement ``` DEAL COACHING: EXECUTIVE ENGAGEMENT ===================================== Account: [Company] Target Executive: [Name/Title or "identify"] --- EXECUTIVE BRIEF --------------- [Research executive if identified, or recommend which exec to target] Why Executive Engagement Now: • [Reason: deal size, stall, strategic importance] • [Trigger: what justifies executive involvement] --- EXECUTIVE-LEVEL MESSAGING -------------------------- Executives care about: [Strategic outcomes, not features] Lead with: "[Business impact statement]" Proof: "[Executive-level proof point — revenue, competitive advantage, risk reduction]" Draft Executive Email/Message: [Short, direct, business-focused message from your exec to their exec] --- MEETING STRATEGY ---------------- If you get the meeting: • Open with: [Strategic context, not product pitch] • Key question: "[Strategic question about their business]" • Value to present: [Business outcome, not feature demo] • Ask: "[Executive-level next step]" --- Want me to: 1. Draft the executive outreach 2. Generate executive meeting prep 3. Create an executive summary one-pager ``` --- #### Mode: Close / Expand Generate appropriate coaching for closing or expansion scenarios following the same pattern: diagnosis, strategy, specific actions, messaging, and follow-ups. ### Step 4: Offer Follow-Up Actions Always end with actionable next steps: ``` What would you like to do next? 1. Draft the recommended email/message 2. Generate full call prep for next meeting 3. Research a specific stakeholder 4. Get competitive intelligence 5. Analyze past conversations for patterns 6. Create a deal-specific one-pager 7. Done ``` ## MCP Tools Used ### Research - `enrich_company` - Account intelligence - `enrich_person` - Stakeholder research - `qualify_company` - ICP fit assessment - `qualify_person` - Persona matching - `find_person` - Stakeholder discovery ### Intelligence - `list_events` - Conversation and deal history - `list_findings` - Extracted insights from interactions - `get_event_detail` - Deep dive into specific interactions - `search_knowledge_base` - Playbooks, competitors, proof points ### Content Generation - `generate_email` - Outreach and follow-up drafts - `generate_content` - Talk tracks, one-pagers, executive messaging - `generate_call_prep` - Meeting preparation ## Error Handling **No Conversation History:** > No previous interactions found with [Company]. > > I'll base coaching on your library intelligence and general deal patterns. > As you log calls and emails, coaching will get more contextual. **Contact Not Found:** > Couldn't find [contact] at [Company]. > > Options: > 1. Provide their email or LinkedIn > 2. I'll search for stakeholders at the company > 3. Proceed with company-level coaching **No Matching Playbook:** > No playbook matches this deal perfectly. > > Using closest match: [Playbook name] > Consider creating a playbook for this scenario: `/octave:library create playbook` ## Related Skills - `/octave:research` - Deep research on any stakeholder - `/octave:battlecard` - Full competitive intelligence - `/octave:abm` - Complete account plan (broader than deal-level) - `/octave:generate` - Quick content generation - `/octave:wins-losses` - Learn from similar deal outcomes - `/octave:analyzer` - Analyze a specific conversation from this deal --- > Converted and distributed by [TomeVault](https://tomevault.io/claim/octavehq) — claim your Tome and manage your conversions.